12 Questions Revisited

Last week I posed 12 questions about the Hamister deal.

Two of them were answered, which are,'What is the deal? and'If Hamister were to develop this property,will there be any IDA tax abatements?'

The answer to the second question is 'yes.'The entire Hamister deal is contingent on Hamister getting tax-free status from the IDA. See exhibit B item 11 in the contract.

As for what the deal is, see our related story.

The other 10 questions remain unanswered.

They are:

Why is Hamister getting the inside track?

What were the other deals that were offered for the parcel?

Why is Hamister's deal better?

Why shouldn't we put this property up for open bidding?

What proof is there that we need more hotels next to the state park?

Has anyone done any kind of study to determine what the highest and best use of the parcel is?

Can this site be developed without a subsidy?

What is its true market value?

Have Dyster, Schoepflin, Hoyt, or Johnson — the men who selected Hamister — ever done a private development with their own money that would qualify them to judge the best development for this property?

What experts have been consulted to determine the best ways to develop?

I have another question to pose: how can the council possibly approve this deal until all of the unanswered questions are answered?